By the end of 2022, according to new data from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), the United Kingdom’s Travel & Tourism sector will have a solid rebound, with the country’s GDP estimated to have increased to £192 billion, only 19 percent below pre-pandemic levels. If travel restrictions and needless testing methods are removed for the remainder of the year, the global tourism organisation predicts a solid rebound for the UK Travel & Tourism sector.
A net gain of 1.7 percent over pre-pandemic levels is predicted, resulting in approximately 4.3 million persons employed in the Travel & Tourism sector by the end of the year, 70,000 more than was expected in 2019. The latest World Travel and Tourism Council data will be welcomed by the country’s battle-scarred Travel and Tourism sector, which is looking forward to the return of tourists.
Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, said: “Travel & Tourism to and from the UK is poised for a full recovery. By the end of this year, we estimate its contribution to national economy could reach £192 billion… While the UK was one of the worst hit in terms of the sector’s contribution to GDP, the future is looking positive. But this will depend on the government keeping to its pledge to re-open UK Plc and not reintroducing the chaotic travel restrictions that actually had zero impact on the spread of the virus.”
According to the research released last week by the World Travel and Tourism Council, as the world began to recover from the pandemic, the sector’s contribution to the global economy and employment might reach levels similar to those experienced prior to the pandemic this year. This year’s contribution to the global economy is expected to reach $8.6 trillion, only 6.4 percent below pre-pandemic levels.
WTTC has long urged governments to support vaccination and booster rollouts by eliminating burdensome and inefficient travel restrictions. This would assist in reviving the Travel & Tourism sector to pre-pandemic levels and restoring employment to levels that were only 1 percent below those witnessed in 2019.
The global tourism organisation also calls on governments around the world to eliminate the patchwork of restrictions that currently exist, to allow those who have received all of their vaccinations to travel freely, and to enable international travel through the use of digital solutions that allow travellers to prove their status in a quick, simple, and secure manner.
